Built in 1819, Quarters 1 is the oldest building in Fort Monroe and served as the commanding officer's residence. Despite its location along the Virginia coastline, Fort Monroe remained in Union hands during the American Civil War. President Abraham Lincoln made a few trips to Fort Monroe and stayed in this building on one occasion for four nights--May 6-11, 1861--while planning the attack on Norfolk.
On my visit there today, I got to see the room that served as Lincoln's bedroom. The room is used today as the office for the Deputy Executive Director of the Fort Monroe Authority. Both a portrait and a bust of Lincoln commemorate his stay there.
The large trees behind the building are live oak trees. The fort contains the northernmost stands of these live oaks. The fort's protected interior has created its own microclimate. The oldest live oak inside the fort, the Algernoune Oak, is estimated to date back to 1540.
@davydo Thanks, Dave. I applied an antique tone in processing to keep the red and blue in the flag and the red rain gutters. It helped warm up the photo, which otherwise looked very black and white and cold today.
@moxy Shelley, you would love the entire fort. It's full of history, including the place where Jefferson Davis was imprisoned for two years following the Civil War and Robert E. Lee's quarters while he served as an engineer building the moat for this fort.
